Reviews that Stand Out

 —  Well, this supergroup is made of very talented musicians. The first track, "Duel with the Devil", is a tour de force! Wow! Near 27 minutes of uninterrupted progressive rock with vintage keyboards: mini moog, organ, piano, Fender Rhodes and mellotron, accompanied by many miscellaneous bells sounds! This track reminds me some of the best progressive bands of the 70's: Gentle Giant, Camel and slightly Yes. Past the 21st minute, you can appreciate a beautiful young choir. These musicians have a VERY developed sense of catchy & complex melody, which is always present and never the same. Actually, they have something better than the group of the seventies: their sound is much better, more shiny, more atmospheric, and they definitely do not sound outdated. The second track, "Suite Charlotte Pike", is a very rythmic prog lite hard rock song, slightly bluesy, on which the rythmic guitar sounds a bit like Steve Howe's (Yes), and the overall sound and style slightly approaches prog band Kayak, as revealed by the omnipresent rythmic piano and Beatle-esque backing vocals. The third track, "Bridge across the water", contains a relaxing piano and the expressive voice of the lead singer, which clearly reminds me Mrs Amy Grant's soothing voice, especially on "If these walls could speak" of the "Lead me on" album; in the background, there is a mellotron-esque floating keyboard sounding like a gentle string ensemble. The fourth track, "Stranger in your soul", is another outstanding epic masterpiece. Trewavas is VERY elaborated here: quite more than with Marillion. Past the 6th minute, they almost sound grunge for a couples of minutes; nevertheless it is more bearable than any alternative band. At the middle of the track, there is an atmospheric beautiful & relaxing part, with, again the lead vocals reminding the tender voice of Amy Grant! Globally, the tracks are very rythm and mood changing, assorted with some lite string arrangements; the keyboards are rather vintage: the ones used in the early 70's. This record is extremely hard to describe because it involves so many influences! All the musicians play very complete and complex parts, and nodody wants to steal the show: they rather work together to create unforgettable epic songs. The lead & backing vocals are a VERY strong element on each track: all the 4 musicians participate to the vocal arrangements! The tracks are NEVER dark, not psychedelic, always positive, and they do not sound neo prog at all! This record will be a classic progressive album in a couples of decades, like Yes - Close to the edge, Gentle Giant - Octopus and Genesis - Selling England by the pound, because it has only strong points. EXTREMELY RECOMMENDED!

 —  look here you silly little man, just beacause it isn't prog rock doesn't mean we have to put up with your stuffy pompous remarks about 'oh well its not prog' for god sake you lot on here make me want to puke you really do!

 

 

 —  With the intensity of the spotlight on him, after the phenomenal 'Tubular Bells' Mike Oldfield retreated into the English countryside; now acknowledged, financially liberated, but far from healed, and with much more music to make. At this time he would create his second masterpiece, 'Hergest Ridge', again born from the depths of both his wonder and fear of life, but this time tempered with moments of pure peace and serenity. This review is based on the original release, thus far only available on vinyl, and not the slightly inferior 'Boxed' remix which is featured on all CD releases.

The album opens abruptly with the sustained chorus of pipes, an eerie, almost magical sound that introduces the listener to the piercing consciousness of Oldfield, built upon by the tinkling of percussion before the main melody of the record emerges. The theme is a strong one, optimistic and self-reinforcing, very much a tale of time, and goes on to be explored through some of Oldfield's most gentle instrumental changes. Through waves of horns, then acoustic guitar, the piece floats along majestically with a solitude and clarity that just seems to drag in the 1976 remix, before reaching a stark moment of upset, and then back to peace in a simply beautiful acoustic guitar/oboe/trumpet section. Here, around the middle of part one, you know you are listening to something truly unique and intriguing when the flow crashes down into a pulsing bass riff and ripples of bright synthesizer which create an atmosphere of mystery, curious searching. Effortlessly, this drives further on into the long climax of the first side, which builds with the festive leisure of sleigh bells and dreamy pipe organs, before the final, exultant, choral reprise. The piece ends fading in the way that it began, the pipes this time having the distinct echo of farewell.

Part two's subtle introduction showcases Oldfield's superb acoustic guitar picking style, in what is quite a delicate, mournful passage. After a short time, however, confidence is found, and the strummed guitars start to take over, as if embarking on a journey, told by a new melody of surpassing, overcoming. This becomes emphasised by the choir, which again was too thick and present in the mix on 'Boxed' but here drifts quietly beneath the other instruments with a natural reverb. In much the same way as part one, uncertainty awaits this journey, as the main theme returns on a lone organ and the piece shifts into darker territory once more, with uneasy staccato organ playing and that searching flute. Unexpectedly, this erupts into the power chord frenzy of what Mike's fans know as the 'thunderstorm' section of 'Hergest Ridge'... this is an extended, relentless struggle of layered distorted and fuzz guitars; frustration and stress but with firm timing, suggesting that there is still a measure of control and defiance within the chaos. At last, as the storm just becomes unbearable, the album returns to one final serene chapter of acoustic guitar, strings and choir... a summary, and perhaps a reference to a future time that looks back on all that has gone before. The last moments of 'Hergest Ridge', however, as the music slowly dies away, are discordant and bleak, before a very deliberate close.

This album still ranks as one of Mike Oldfield's finest achievements - surpassing 'Tubular Bells' - full of rich emotion, unique texture of instrumentation, and extremely gifted performances. This is music of a quality that sadly is not really made anymore, and must be heard to be understood. He was to sing on his next album, "so if you feel a little glum, to Hergest Ridge you should come" - and while it is not all hope and light, it is indeed the clear sound of truth, of home.